John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

"notes the failure to deliver many of the promises outlined in the National Development Plan 2000-2006;

notes the failure to deliver balanced regional development throughout the country;

abhors the scandalous waste of public money in many public infrastructure projects; and

calls on the Government to put in place a comprehensive system of checks and balances to ensure project delivery, reduce waste and promote value for money in the construction of public infrastructure projects."

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, to the House and congratulate him on his appointment. I hope he will be returned to the Opposition benches after the next general election but nonetheless wish him well during his brief tenure as Minister of State.

I am surprised by the comments made by certain Members on the Government side. I am especially perplexed that Senator Mansergh does not see the need for the Opposition to table an amendment. If ever a Government plan deserved scrutiny, surely it is the spending of €184 billion proposed in the NDP. This Opposition amendment, which I am delighted to move, merely sets out the areas which deserve closest scrutiny.

I wonder about Senator Mansergh's comments on the Opposition's commitment to implementing the NDP. Given that the Government failed to implement the previous plan, I question its commitment in implementing this one. The Leader was correct in saying that the NDP is good news, just as most fairy tales involve good news. However, I have a strange fear that, like most fairy tales, parts of this plan will not come true.